House in the Fields
An unprecedented number of 32 films - 15 of them directed by women - from 27 countries have been chosen for Doha Film Institute’s Fall Grants 2016, DFI announced yesterday.
This takes the total number of films supported by DFI to date to over 310, from 51 countries, of which 264 are projects from the Arab world.
Aimed at supporting first- and second-time filmmakers from around the world, the financing initiative covers shorts, documentaries, experimental and essay films and features.
In addition to films by Qatari directors, the Fall Grants programme covers projects from development to post-production, from Algeria, Argentina, Burkina Faso, Canada, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Netherlands, Oman, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE, the UK and the USA.
The Grants programme aims to seek out original voices in film by emerging talents, encourage creative interaction among the filmmakers, and develop a community of filmmakers around the Doha Film Institute alumni. Selected projects are also offered creative development support by the Institute’s professionals throughout the life-cycle of the films. It also supports established names from the MENA region.
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of DFI, said: “Identifying and supporting emerging talents from across the world is one of our central commitments in nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. We want to empower talented young people by helping them tide over the challenges they face in fulfilling their creative aspirations, and encourage the creation of compelling content. The diversity of submissions for this year’s Grants has been exceptional, and we chose the 32 projects for their power to touch a chord among film audiences, anywhere in the world.”
There are two submission cycles for the Grants annually. The next cycle opens January 9 and closes on January 23.
DFI also has co-financing schemes as well as the Qatari Film Fund dedicated to supporting short and feature filmmaking by Qatari directors.
